Home made soup, there really is nothing to making it but it tastes so much more delicious than anything shop bought. Honestly it is the cheapest most cheerful food - pop it on on a rainy Sunday afternoon whilst you lounge on the sofa with the papers and you’ll have enough for 4/5 servings which in our house does for Sunday supper (if we’ve had a big lunch) and a couple of weekday lunchtimes too - I am determined to take my own lunch to work, although it will mean not eating at lovely Leon*,  - I am, I am!

This recipe is adapted from a Delia one (Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course), I have just simplified her method a little and added some herbs. All quantities are approx with soup so don’t worry if you add a bit more/bit less if that’s what’s in the fridge.

Ingredients

4 medium leeks
2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
150 ml milk
1L veg stock/water
50g butter
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme
S&P

Serves 4/5 (can be kept in the fridge for 3 days and reheated as needed)

1 Dice potatoes (I like to keep the skins on for extra roughage and flavour, plus it means no peeling!), chop leeks and onion quite finely
2 Melt butter in large deep pan on low heat
3 Add above veg, mix well with butter, cover and sweat for 15 mins
4 Add milk, stock, herbs and S&P to pan, cover and simmer for 25 mins
5 Let it cool for a few minutes and then blend veg to smoothish texture (tip: there is no need to put the liquid in the blender, just fish out veg with slotted spoon - or pass through a sieve if you don’t have a blender)
6 Put puree back into pan with liquid, mix well and reheat, serve with a hunk of bread for dipping

*If you haven’t had the chance to eat at a Leon yet I would strongly recommend them, they use seasonal produce and free range meat to produce the most delicious fast food ever, with lots for vegetarians too - aioli chicken wraps to moroccan vegetable tagines, plus hot chocolate to die for - simply hot organic milk with shaved Valrhona chocolate flakes - oof!